Bridal Boot Camp: Diet Excuses

This week is being dedicated to bridal boot camp. It’s all about the exterior since we already know you are awesome on the inside I want you to look and, most importantly, feel your best on your wedding day! From my last post about the 5 Simple Rules for Getting in Shape, you probably feel a little overwhelmed and unsure of where to start. I think having a better understanding of where to start and how to follow through will make sticking to it a bit easier. So let’s go over the basics so you don’t let excuses get in your way.

I don’t want to starve to death.

Let me just say first and foremost that I love food. I like eating. I like cooking. I hate feeling hungry. So when someone told me to eat more in order to lose weight, I was skeptical to say the least. I thought that by skipping breakfast, I’d skip a few calories and drop weight in no time. Who else out there thinks that? In reality, you should eat 5-6 times per day. The catch is that you need to eat 5-6 healthy meals per day. There are some days when I feel like I can’t possibly eat that much. There are other days when I could eat 3 days worth of food in one day.

So how much food should you be eating in one day? You can click here and go to a BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) Calculator. This tells you how many calories you’d burn if you did nothing but lay in bed all day. Then you can use the Harris Benedict Equation to figure out how much you burn in your normal day to day activities. Once you have this number, subtract 500. That is the number of calories you can eat in one day and still lose weight. If you want to make it even easier on yourself, just go to My Fitness Pal and sign up. It will do all the calculations for you. You will also want to pay attention to the amount of protein, sugars, sodium, fats and carbohydrates you eat in a day. But again, My Fitness Pal will keep track of all of that for you. You just have to log in online or download the app to your smart phone.

I don’t want to eat only carrots and lettuce. I want options.

I think it is important that you find options that you like when you are trying to change any habits, whether it is exercise or foods. Some people say they don’t want to diet because they don’t want to give up the foods they love. I am not perfect and sometimes still have pizza. The key is really finding alternatives to the foods you love that are just as delicious. For example, Joey and I both love breaded chicken. I also want something that is easy to cook since I work long hours and sometimes don’t feel like spending hours in the kitchen when I get home. I found a recipe for Parmesan chicken and we both LOVE it. Literally, we have it once a week. It is that amazing. I have even swapped out the Parmesan cheese in it for crushed almonds and gave it a slightly different flavor. It was just just as amazing. Honestly, if you google “clean eating pizza,” “clean eating pasta” or really “clean eating” anything, you can find way to turn just about any recipe into a healthier version. You just have to be willing to do a little background work. Bringing me to my next excuse…

I don’t have time to sit at the computer to find recipes and then stop at the store everyday for ingredients.

Yeah, me neither. That is why I sit down every Sunday and plan out our dinners for the week. I actually have a small whiteboard that I keep on the side of my fridge. It makes it easier for us to remember to set out the meats to thaw or plan ahead for prep if I will be working late. Once I have it all written out, I sit down with a notepad and write my grocery list. I think about what I might need to make our meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks!) and write everything out. Then when I actually go to the grocery store, I do not deviate from this list. That really helps keep me from walking down the cookie aisle and buying those damn Oreos and it also helps me stay on track with my budget. One other tip is to “shop the perimeter.” What I mean by this is most of the items you should be buying are found in the perimeter of the grocery store. Think fresh fruits and veggies, meats, dairy, eggs… all found in the outside walls of the store. You may need to venture down the middle aisles for a few things like bread, oatmeal, canned goods and frozen items. Just make sure you are steering clear of the foods that normally tempt you. Damn Oreos…

Hunger always hits me when I am out and about.

Me too! It isn’t until you stop running that you realize it is 5pm you haven’t eaten since breakfast. You need to fuel your body with good nutritious foods and I can tell you that fast food restaurants do not have the best options. Even the “healthy” options aren’t really that healthy if you take a good look at them. How do I combat these hunger pains and stay on track with my diet? Well, as I mentioned above, I plan for snacks. I plan to have at least 3 snacks per day that contain both a complex carbohydrate and a protein. It might be celery with some peanut butter or an apple and a handful of almonds. When I am doing my meal prep and planning on Sundays, I also pack snacks that I can grab quickly and go. My favorite is a Chocolate Cinnamon Protein Bar found on my favorite clean eating blog, The Gracious Pantry. At this point, my body is so used to being fed 5-6 times a day, I can tell when those 2-3 hours are nearing. If you aren’t quite there yet, set an alarm on your phone. Yes, eat even if you are not hungry.

As I mentioned, I am also rarely seen without my bright green water bottle. Many people mistake thirst for hunger. So when I have just eaten and am still hungry, I drink some water and wait until I am sure it is really hunger before eating again. Plus if you are only 30 minutes from home and those hunger strikes hit, you can fend them off by drinking water to hold you over until you get home.

I’ve already hit my goal weight, so I don’t want to lose anymore weight and have to get more alterations.

Well, good for you! And I don’t mean that in a snide kind of way. You were dedicated and reached your goal weight before your big day. Now, with the fun activities and events leading up to the wedding, you should be aiming to maintain your weight. So you remember that little formula I told you about above where you figured out how many calories you should be eating in a day based on your daily activity? Instead of subtracting 500 calories to help you lose weight, you get to eat each and every one of those calories!! This is the number of calories you need to eat to maintain your current weight.

Now that you are at your perfect size, don’t splurge too much on those cookies and cake found at every wedding related event. Why? Because one other HUGE bonus from eating clean is better skin. Did you ever notice how people say the bride (and pregnant women!) “glow?” It is typically not only because they are happy, but because they are taking better care of themselves and eating better! If you want to avoid those horrible wedding day blemishes and puffy eyes, you need to eat clean and drink at least 2-3 liters of water per day.

I am sure that eat and every one of you will look absolutely radiant and stunning on your big day. These are just a few little tips to help you get there. If you want a little more guidance on how to eat healthier, I always recommend Tosca Reno’s book The Eat Clean Diet: Recharged. It is a great resource for learning how to eat better and what to eat. Plus, there are some really great recipes in there too! As always, if you have questions or comments, please leave them below! I’ll be sure to get back to you as soon as possible!

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on Monday, April 16th, 2012 at 6:01 pm and is filed under Fitness.
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